Some Muslims may be familiar with the name Musailamah al-Kadzab who was known as a forger of revelation during the reign of Caliph Abu Bakar As-Siddiq رضي الله عنه. During the time when Rasulullahﷺ was alive, there was also a forger of revelations who often twisted the verses of the Qur'an. He has the full name of Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه, a revelation writer whose reputation was tarnished because he was proven to have played with the verses of the Quran. Later, [after repenting] he was known to have a brilliant career in matters of conquest.
Abu Yahya, nicknamed Abdullah bin Abi Sarah رضي الله عنه, grew up and lived in Makkah. Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه, grandfather, Abi Sarah, was one of the leaders of the hypocrite who was often hostile to the preaching of Islam. Meanwhile, his mother, Mahabah bint Jabir al-Ash'ari, was the nurse of Sayidina Uthman bin Affan رضي الله عنه,. In other words, Abdullah bin Abi Sarah رضي الله عنه was Uthman's foster brother.
Forgers of Revelation.
Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنهembraced Islam before the opening [Fathul Makkah] of Makkah. Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله also participated in the migration group to Madinah. Rasulullahﷺ gave him the task of writing revelations. However, Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه fell prey to the devil's tricks to the point of daring to manipulate the verses of the Quran. After it was discovered that he had forged the verses of the Qur'an, he fled to Makkah while boasting that he had succeeded in changing the verses of the Qur'an. Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه deliberately did all that so that his name would go viral as a forger of revelations and become famous among the Quraish community.
Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه 's case was revealed after the revelation of Surah al-An'am verse 93 which means, "And who is more unjust than the one who makes a lie against Allah or who says, 'It has been revealed to me', even though nothing has been revealed to him, and people who said, 'I will send down as Allah has sent down.'"
At-Thabari wrote, that there is a difference of opinion among takwil experts about who is explained in the verse. Some think that the verse above is directed at the behavior of Musailamah al-Kadzab. While others argue, this verse is directed at the actions of Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه who has been treacherous and tends to change the verses of the Qur'an.
As when "Azizun Hakim" was read to him, Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه thus wrote "Ghafurur Rahim". When "Sami'an 'Aliman" was read, he wrote "Aliman Hakiman". On the other hand, when "Aliman Hakiman" was read, he deliberately wrote "Sami'an 'Aliman". Then, he lied to the Quraysh by claiming to have received a revelation similar to Rasulullahﷺ.
Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه then repented and asked for the help of his brother, Saiyidina Uthman bin Affanضي الله عنه to persuade the Muslims to forgive him. Then, Uthman announced his repentance to Rasulullahﷺ. Rasulullahﷺ was silent for a long time and did not say anything until he finally forgave him.
Become an Army of Muslims
After repenting, Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه devoted himself to the Muslim army. As the potential, Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه has had all this time, which is the military ability that has been ingrained in him. His commitment to jihad continues to be shown from time to time. For example, during the era of Caliph Abu Bakar as Siddiq رضي الله عنه, Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه participated in the eradication of the Riddah people who opposed the legitimate government and fought alongside Amr bin al-Ashرضي الله عنه in the conquest of Palestine.
During the reign of Caliph Umar bin Khattab رضي الله عنه, he joined the Egyptian expedition. Thanks to his dedication in the military field, he was trusted by Amr bin al-Ash to lead a special force to raid the Roman army in southern Egypt to strengthen the authority of the Muslims who had successfully occupied the territory from Fustath to Alexandria. After that, Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه was sent back to Nubia, Sudan, and managed to influence Islam there.
The Islamization of Tunisia
When mentioning Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه, the area of North Africa, especially Tunisia, cannot be separated from his name. Through this general's will, for the first time, Islam entered the region inhabited by the Amazigh community. An Egyptian writer, Muhammad Ali in his essay Min Abthal al-Fath al-Islami immortalized the struggle and bravery stories of Abdullah bin Abi Sarah.
The book shows that Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه started his journey to Tunisia in 26 Hijri with a total of 20,000 troops. Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه traveled to Barqah, Tripoli, and then reached the border of Tunisia. At that time, Tunisia was occupied by Gregory the Patrician. He was a famous Roman commander whose territory stretched widely from Tripoli (Libya) to Tangier (Morocco) with the capital Cartage (Tunisia).
In an area called 'Aqubah, two commanders sided with each other and swung their swords at each other. This history is slightly different from what was presented by the Tunisian historian, Hasan Husni Abdul Wahab in Khulasat Tarikh Tunis. According to him, the battle against Gregory took place in Sbeitla which is located 260 km from the capital of Tunisia.
Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه sent a letter to the king of Rome to choose the path of peace and pay tribute. However, there is no clear point in the agreement. Even war cannot be avoided and then lasts for days. The number of the Roman army at that time had reached 100,000 to 120,000 troops who tried to block the Muslims so that they could not enter their territory.
Despite their super strength, as time went on, the Roman army began to tire. Meanwhile, the Muslim team is still in top performance. They did not want to waste the golden opportunity until the army of Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه stormed the enemy's defenses again. The Roman army retreated with increasing casualties including Gregory who was killed by Abdullah bin Zubairرضي الله عنه.
Next, Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه besieged the Sbeitla area while his forces entered one of the largest cities in southwestern Tunisia, Gafsah. As a result, the success of the second conquest. Soon it was the turn of El-Djem (an area in the city of Mahdiah, Tunisia) to submit under the auspices of Islam. They agreed to make peace and send a routine tax every year worth 2,500,000 dinars.
For one year and three months, Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه traveled to learn the ins and outs of Tunisia. Open up the land and spread Islam. Although he was able to open multiple large cities in Tunisia, Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه lived a nomadic life, moving around. This is related to the task he carried at that time, which was to dig up detailed information related to Tunisia's geographical situation and measure the strength of the enemy.
After his task was completed, he returned to Egypt. The role of information is a pillar of preparation before the real conquest that cannot be taken for granted. Thanks to the role of information which is a pillar of preparation for conquest, the warlords obtain the latest information which becomes a supply in implementing a cohesive strategy. This is due to the accuracy of strategy greatly determining success in war.
For example, Muawiyah bin Hudaij who a few years later was able to penetrate and control important cities in Tunisia after receiving detailed information from the observations of Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه. Similarly, the success of Uqbah bin Nafi', the conqueror of Africa, cannot be separated from his analysis of the processing of information that has been collected by previous informants.
Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه stepped down from his position as governor of Egypt shortly after the appointment of Saiyidana Ali bin Abi Talib رضي الله عنه as caliph. Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه was one of the individuals who did not want to interfere in the dispute between Saiyidana Ali bin Abi Talib رضي الله عنه and Muawiyahرضي الله عنه and preferred to continue his jihad towards Palestine and settle in Asqalan.
Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi Sarahرضي الله عنه died and was buried in the Quraish Asqalan Maqbarah in 36 Hijri, after the morning prayer as he prayed, "O Allah, make my morning prayer the end of my deeds."
Chusnatul Jannah
. Allahﷻ
Allahﷻ
Rasulullahﷺ
Rasulullahﷺ
رضي الله عنه
Allahﷻ . Allahﷻ
Allahﷻ
Rasulullahﷺ
Rasulullahﷺ
رضي الله عنه
Allahﷻ
